OPERATION STABILIZATION: REVIVED mod for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Hello everyone! And welcome to OPERATION STABILIZATION: REVIVED first-ever media update. In this update, we will be going over our current plans for the mod along with what has been developed during our first year. This mod is a labor of love for our team at Rogue Studios, led by development lead Prickly Mime. We are dedicated to continuing the development of the mod started by our late friend and colleague, ArkSynix. Ark was a talented and passionate developer who had a vision for a truly unique and immersive Half-Life 2 mod.

Despite his untimely passing, we are determined to do everything we can to bring Ark's vision to life and give him the grand send-off he deserves. We are using his early design documents and any other resources available to us to continue his story, but we know that there will be gaps and challenges along the way. We are dedicated to seeing this project through, no matter what obstacles we may face.

This project is not just about creating a great mod for players. It is also about remembering and honoring a great developer and a great friend. ArkSynix's contributions to the Half-Life community will not be forgotten, and we are grateful for the opportunity to keep his memory alive through this project. We hope that "Operation Stabilization: Revived" will be a fitting tribute to Ark and all that he accomplished.

This anniversary trailer was created by the mod's lead developer, "Prickly Mime," as a way to commemorate our first year developing the mod. Within the trailer, you can see our new and improved reworks to the original mod's maps. These maps have been altered to provide detail and continuity to different aspects of the story, as we do not wish to alter any major design choices Ark made during his time making the mod. We’ve also ported the mod over to E : Z 2 SDK which allows us to use everything used in that mod as well, so far we’ve included: kicking down doors, arrested and disarming refugees/rebels, improved squad mechanics and many more miscellaneous features added by Entropy Zero 2.

Currently, we are also using notes and knowledge from ArkSynix and his close friends to piece together his story for Operation Stabilization. As of now, the current plot relies upon "ECHO-1" a Combine soldier that's brainwashing is never fully completed, although his behaviors and acts as any typical Combine soldier echos from his past keep coming back to haunt him, slowly throughout the modification the player will encounter an entity known as "GHOSTCOP". This stain on Echo-1's mind will slowly make the soldier's life unravel as he begins to question his instincts.

We have currently finished work on Chapter 1, "The Fall of Nova Prospekt," where "ECHO-1" is first deployed to track down Freeman and neutralize any hostile threats. The following showcase includes screenshots of gameplay set-pieces along with improved level design by our mapping team.



(Backways)



(Dirty Laundry)


(First Sighting)

We still have a lot more coming for this mod, and we can’t wait to show you! A lot of what’s being worked on as of now is concept ideas to add to Chapter One and the rest of the mod, one of these includes “Radiation Levels” which depending on your environment may alter the space around you. We are constantly developing the project to bring you all a new unique experience to play through, as well as honor Ark's legacy.

We are currently looking for coders for the project so we can expand upon certain mechanics within the mod as well as modellers.

We hope you enjoyed this short but sweet development commemorating the one-year anniversary of the game's development!

Links:

Valve Modding Community Discord: Discord.gg
OPERATION STABILIZATION: REVIVED Discord: Discord.gg